The front of the house had paint that was peeling and chipping.  Using MDE methods, the old paint was removed, point-up done, and two new coats of masonry paint were applied.  (Owners are licensed and certified for lead paint repairs.)  The original tin on the front gable roof was repaired, flashing fixed and the entire roof repainted.  The boxy K-Style gutters and downspouts were removed and replaced with period appropriate half-rounds.   The roof on the rear portion of the house had asphalt shingles over rotting trusses - the entire back roof structure was rebuilt and a new standing seam metal roof was installed.  The rear addition to the house was concrete block - this was covered with custom milled German lap board siding.  The electric panel was on the outside of the kitchen door - a new panel box was installed in the basement and the old box removed.   Additionally, the main electric to the house was moved to the alley side so as to remove the unsightly service box from the face of the house.  As well, the vinyl siding on the enclosed upper rear balcony was replaced with the same custom milled German lapboard siding. 

​

Structurally, there were a couple major issues that were discovered and corrected.  When, under previous ownership, the upper rear balcony was enclosed to become part of the interior of the house, a wall of load-bearing brick was removed.  A single 1x6 board had been put in place to carry the load.  A temporary wall was built, and a new load-bearing beam was installed to correctly distribute the weight.  Also for this same enclosure, no eave existed along the north and east facing exterior walls.  The entire structure was dry-rotted.  The walls were moved in several inches to allow for a roof overhang to prevent future water/ice damage.  The chimney in the attic was crumbling.  A painstaking process was done over several months where a couple bricks at a time were replaced, until the chimney was once again sound and sturdy.

The basement walls had been parged - however, the parging had been done without reference to aesthetics.  All walls that had been parged were reparged with attention to detail, for a smooth and even finish.  The walls where stone was still exposed were repointed, cleaned and sealed. 

​

The fireplace on the first floor had been sealed with bricks.  When those bricks were removed, it became clear why it had been sealed.  All the brick inside the fireplace, including the floor, had disintegrated.  The entire interior of the fireplace was rebuilt, and the soldier bricks on the face were replaced and repaired as necessary.

​

In the rear yard, overhead wire ran 8 feet off the ground from the house to a utility pole in the alley.  These wires were removed, and a conduit installed underground to allow for the phone and cable wire to reach the house. 

The two bedroom, one bath house has been converted to a two bedroom with finished attic, 2 1/2 bath historic home with modern conveniences.  All doors were sanded, restored and re-hung.  All floors that were salvageable, were restored.  Where floors were not salvageable, old, reclaimed floors were installed and refinished.